Former pilot Greg Lynn jailed for 32 years over High Country murder ...

Murderer Greg Lynn has been sentenced to 32 years' jail for shooting camper Carol Clay in Victoria's High Country four years ago.

The former Jetstar pilot shot Ms Clay, 73, in the head during a fight that also claimed the life of Ms Clay's secret lover, Russell Hill, 74.

He then hid the bodies in remote bushland and set them on fire, leaving little for police to find when Lynn eventually directed them to the burial site.

Lynn, 58, will have to serve at least 24 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole. He has been in custody since late 2021.

Earlier this year, a jury found Lynn guilty of Ms Clay's murder but acquitted him of murdering Mr Hill in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 20, 2020.

Carol Clay was president of the Country Womens' Association of Victoria between 2011 and 2013. (Supplied)

During sentencing remarks that ran for 90 minutes, Justice Michael Croucher was moved to tears and called the crime "a very grave example of murder".

Justice Croucher called the killing of Ms Clay "a violent, brutal, horrific death".

But he also said there were elements of the case that remained unclear, including exactly what unfolded during the deadly fight at Bucks Camp, whether Lynn had a motive, and the order in which the campers died.

"I am satisfied Mrs Clay was killed instantly when she was shot to the head with Mr Lynn's shotgun," the judge said.

"It is a grave crime to extinguish the life of another violently."

Lynn maintains his innocence and his lawyers have vowed to challenge the guilty verdict in the Court of Appeal.

Ms Clay was a prolific community volunteer, whose roles included serving as president of the Country Women's Association and a director of Foodbank Victoria.

Mr Hill was a retired logger who enjoyed camping, chatting to friends on high-frequency radio and had recently taken up drone photography.

Russell Hill was a keen camper who had spent much of his career as a logger in Victoria's remote High Country. (Supplied)

Justice Croucher cried as he described victim impact statements provided by the pair's families, and the suffering they had endured because of Lynn's actions.

"The sentence imposed is not a measure of Mrs Clay's life," the judge said.

"It can't be."

The judge said the offence called for a sentence higher than the standard 25-year penalty for murder — but stopped short of meeting prosecutors' demands for Lynn to be locked up for life.

Members of the upstairs public gallery stood and craned their necks to get a glimpse of Lynn when the moment came for him to stand up and learn the length of his prison sentence.

There was an audible gasp when Justice Croucher announced his ruling, and members of the Hill and Clay families smiled in surprised shock.

Lynn remained impassive.

Moments earlier, the judge read out a recent apology letter penned by the convicted killer.

"I am disappointed and perplexed by the jury verdict, as I have not killed anyone and will be respectfully appealing their decision," Lynn wrote in part.

Greg Lynn's lawyers have indicated they plan to appeal his conviction. (Facebook)

"However, I accept that my decision to flee the scene and attempt to disappear, and all of my actions to that effect, were selfish and callous in the extreme, causing family and friends of both Carol Clay and Russell Hill much grief and stress for 20 long months.

"I don't ask for forgiveness. I am simply sorry for what I have done. Sincerely, Greg Lynn."

The disappearance of Ms Clay and Mr Hill was a mystery that dominated the headlines.

Not only did the pair vanish seemingly without a trace, but the outing of their secret relationship came as news to nearly everyone who knew them, including Mr Hill's wife and daughters.

The first concerns about the pair were raised by others who passed through Bucks Camp, when they found a burnt out campsite and Mr Hill's abandoned four-wheel-drive.

Lynn was found guilty of shooting Carol Clay using his 12-gauge Barathrum Arms shotgun. (Supplied: Victoria Police)

Ms Clay and Mr Hill were already dead by that stage, and Lynn was in the process of hiding his involvement.

Police soon ruled out theories of the retirees running away to start a new life or dying, lost in the wilderness.

Lynn became a suspect when a traffic camera snapped his vehicle and trailer leaving the valley the morning after the murder. He was arrested and charged nearly 20 months after the deaths.

Lynn initially denied any wrongdoing but admitted a fight had broken out at Bucks Camp between Mr Hill and himself.

An argument over his hunting activities, loud music and Mr Hill's drone escalated into struggles over a gun and a knife, he said.

Lynn claimed Mr Hill stole his shotgun, that the two men had wrestled over it, and that Ms Clay was struck in the head when the weapon discharged.

He said Mr Hill was also accidentally killed during a subsequent tussle over a knife. Lynn was the last man standing and there were no witnesses.

Russell Hill and Carol Clay's campsite at Bucks Camp was discovered by passers-by after Lynn had removed their bodies. (Supplied: Supreme Court of Victoria)

Lynn recounted the same story in court and told the jury it was the truth. Prosecutors called it a "complete fiction".

Instead of coming forward, Lynn embarked on an elaborate cover-up because he feared losing his career and his family.

He admitted putting the bodies of Mr Hill and Ms Clay in his trailer and dumping them hours away on the side of a dirt track.

He lit the corpses on fire, and came back months later to incinerate them again. Time did the rest.

When police arrived to collect the campers' remains, they did not need body bags. They used envelopes.

Justice Croucher called Lynn's desecration of the bodies "appalling treatment" and "just a terrible thing to do".

After handing down his sentence, Justice Croucher turned to the loved ones of Ms Clay and Mr Hill.

"To the families of both deceased, I say I'm terribly sorry for your loss."